Toy building and design block



c. F. LORENZEN.

TOY BUILDING AND DESIGN BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED 01mm, 1919.

1,337,664. Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

CHARLES F. LORENZEN, 01 OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

TOY BUILDING AND DESIGN BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed December 18, 1919. Serial No. 345,887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'CHARLns F. LOJRENZEN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at 635 Fair Oaks avenue, Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Toy Building and Design Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to toy building and design blocks and is fully described in the following specification and shown in the drawing, in which Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of two forms of building blocks and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of design block.

While I have illustrated as embodiments of my invention, a few building and design blocks, it will be understood that I am not limited to these specific forms, but that I may make these blocks in any desired shape.

In the manufacture of my blocks, I preferably use a ceramic material which is molded while in a plastic state into the desired shapes which are then set, for example, by placing in a kiln and firing to a vitrifying temperature or if plasticized by heat, by cooling. This produces a vitrified block which is impervious to moisture. By ceramic materials I mean fabricated silicious materials whether derived from the natural silicates such as clay or artificially by the fusion of silica with silicate forming materials. It is sometimes desirable to form only the exposed surfaces of vitrified ceramic material.

Such blocks offer no place for the lodgment of germs other than on the surface. Consequently, these blocks can be entirely rid of all disease germs and rendered thoroughly sanitary by boiling in clear water, or by washing in an antiseptic solution. This block, moreover, is not injured in any way by such treatment, no matter how often applied. In fact, with such a block there is an added inducement to the child to keep it clean, because it is brighter and more attractive to the eye. In case a child having a contagious disease plays with these blocks, they can thus be thoroughly and easily disinfected.

My blocks are also made in many colors, preferably by mixing the coloring matter with the ceramic material of which the blocks are made before the blocks are fired. There is thus no danger that a child playing with these blocks and putting them in his mouth will be able to dissolve ofi any of the coloring matter and be injured thereby.

While I have shown but a few embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that numerous modifications are possible. Changes, therefore, in the structure, composition and arrangement may be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the appended claims in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as possible in view of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy building block composed of vitrified ceramic material which is impervious to moisture.

2. A toy building block having all exposed surfaces composed of vitrified ceramic material which is impervious to moisture.

CHAR-LES F. LORENZEN. 

